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Issue 140

Due to the various Frieze Art Fair activities this week's issue is a double one and will cover two weeks. There's so much going on (see our special Frieze 2005 issue) hence we need next week off!

Firstly some music dates for the date-minded: catch Stockhausen's concert in conjunction with Frieze (22/10). And after 12 years reclusing Kate Bush is back with a new album, coinciding with 20 years in-the-biz Depeche Mode's new offering and Madge's sneaky radio release, none of which made it into Peel's top 20 all time albums. After seven years Zinedine Zidanne can still play, and wait, after one month can there be more Robots racing?! Very serious scientists are looking into life after death as 82-year-old Kurt Vonnegut gives his opinion, and if he hasn't lost his subversiveness how come it looks like MTV has lost the subversive plot?

So Pinter won the biggie, and opinion divides, and then someone starts investigating the Man Booker Prize. If all this gets stressful apparently there's some good old Brit comfort food for sale.

In other news, who is JT Leroy really, and if your life depended on it (it really might) would your vote be for Mrs. Clinton or Condi Rice? Or maybe they would rather turn to poetry like Radovan Karadzic -- someone should warn him the Dutch are after his rights!

Francis Alys' fox is on the loose at the NPG. Chuck Close is in town (21/10) and David Byrne has unveiled Playing the Building in Stockholm. And in "could it ever happen here" -- Italy strike because of art budget cuts, and while on the money NYC photos soar at the auctions and Tracey Emin upsets the locals by stuffing notes up her jacksy. Plus broadsheet Turner coverage has begun and the race is on!

In architecture the Stirling Prize goes to Scotland, Venice ignores London and move over Stratford, Bejing got there first. Speaking of sloppy seconds in film Craig gets the Bond.

Our feature on the Scandinavian duo Elmgreen & Dragset, who are responsible for Prada Marfa, returns and along with them we bring you an interview with Jason Rhoades.

Headlines

Architecture: Kjetil Thorsen (Snohetta)

Art: China Live: Conversations on Performance and Documentation; Comica: Misfit Lit (With Jessica Abel, Matt Madden, Igort, Killoffer...); Frieze Art Fair 2005; Jeff Wall; Jenny Saville; Paul McCarthy

Classical Music: Writing on Water (With Peter Greenaway)

Club: Furthur Halloween Rave: Luke Vibert, Cylob, DMX Krew, The Bug...; Luciano, M.A.N.D.Y., Luke Slater, Headman...

Concert: Animal Collective And Caribou; At Bob: Aoki Takamasa And Tujiko Noriko; Electrelane And The Organ; Leaf Is 10: Murcof, Efterklang, Sutekh...; Saint Etienne; The Fiery Furnaces And Kevin Blechdom; Ulrich Schnauss

Dance: Dance Umbrella 2005: Compagnie Maguy Marin / La Ribot / Daniel Leveille / Michael Clark

DJ: Furthur Halloween Rave: Luke Vibert, Cylob, DMX Krew, The Bug...; Luciano, M.A.N.D.Y., Luke Slater, Headman...

Festival: Dance Umbrella 2005: Compagnie Maguy Marin / La Ribot / Daniel Leveille / Michael Clark; Fertilizer; London Film Festival 2005

Film: Le Mepris (Contempt); London Film Festival 2005; Saint Etienne; Thumbsucker

Multimedia: Never Ever Land; Writing on Water (With Peter Greenaway)

Performance: China Live: Conversations on Performance and Documentation; Never Ever Land

Talk: China Live: Conversations on Performance and Documentation; Comica: Misfit Lit (With Jessica Abel, Matt Madden, Igort, Killoffer...); Jenny Saville; John Banville, Patrick McGrath and Matthias Muller; Kjetil Thorsen (Snohetta)

Theatre: Forced Entertainment: Bloody Mess / Exquisite Pain; Not In My Name

Artworker: Jason Rhoades

CD Review: Dangerdoom

 
WEDNESDAY 19 OCTOBER
Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Mon | TueOngoing | Features

FESTIVAL / FILM LONDON FILM FESTIVAL 2005

Wednesday 19 October [19/10 to 03/11]

various venues across London
check programme for times and ticket prices

The LFF has been developing its mantra of inclusive, public-focused cinema every year with its mix of blockbusters, documentaries and experimental work. This year's KF picks for the 49th festival, with a few exceptions, come from delving deep into the programme to find the work you're not so likely to hear about.

Hidden
Famous French actors Juliette Binoche and Daniel Auteuil are under surveillance in Michael Haneke's voyeuristic nightmare. The Austrian director's film was a favourite to win at Cannes this year, but the award went to L'enfant (see below).

A Cock And Bull Story
21/10 @ 8pm and 26/10 @ 4pm

9 Songs and In This World director Michael Winterbottom's exceptional comedy is a parody of an attempt to film a literary adaptation. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon play two bickering actors attempting to out do one another whilst filming The Life And Opinions Of Tristram Shandy. Bursting with British acting talent as well as an ingenious take on an experimental classic novel.

L'enfant
26/10 @ 6:30pm

Belgian directors Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne's film is a brutally realistic take on a new-born baby's life with its young unemployed parents on the streets of Liege. Winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year.

13 Lakes and Ten Skies
28/10 @ 4pm and 30/10 @ 6pm
28/10 @ 6:30pm and 30/10 @ 2pm

In these two feature-length artists' films James Benning brings the outdoors to the cinema, shooting 13 Lakes across the USA and Ten Skies from his back yard. Every shot is ten minutes long. (Catch James Benning in person on 27/10 as he kicks off his retrospective at the Whitechapel Gallery.)

Crossing The Bridge: The Sound Of Istanbul
28/10 @ 6:30pm and 30/10 @ 6:30pm

Turkish-German director Fatih Akin explores the diverse sounds and cultures of Istanbul from the studios to the streets, recording each of his subjects performing live. Particularly good if you saw Head-On as it features many of the artists from the soundtrack of his previous film.

2 Girls
23/10 @ 3:45pm and 02/11 @ 9pm

Kutlug Ataman, better known for his experimental artists' film work, such as the recent with Kuba, has made a feature film about two disaffected teenage girls growing up in modern-day Turkey. The clever casting of one of Turkey's most famous female entertainers as the mother makes it all the more intriguing.

Three Times
30/10 @ 6:30pm

The latest instalment of the seductive, slow and beautiful cinema of Hou Hsiao-hsien dramatises three love stories from the beginning of last century to the modern day. If you enjoyed the extraordinarily minimal Cafe Lumiere that recently played at the ICA, you won't want to miss this.

Dark Horse
20/10 @ 1:30pm and 6:30pm

Dark Horse is young Icelandic director's Dagur Kari follow up to his excellent first feature Noi Albinoi. A down-beat comedy about a slacker shot in black and white, it also features the sounds of the directors own band, Slow Blow.

Retrospective Screenings
Luis Bunuel (28/10 @ 9pm)
Michael Antonioni (29/10 @ 3pm)

A brand new print of Bunuel's shocking portrait of Mexico City street kids, Los Olvidados, and a newly-restored print of Antonioni's English-language movie, The Passenger, starring Jack Nicholson, are just two of the highlights in the LFF's treasures from the archives screenings.

Screen Talks
Francois Ozon (21/10 @ 7pm)
Pierce Brosnan (25/10 @ 6:30pm)
Shane Black (29/10 @ 2pm)
Gael Garcia Bernal (30/11 @ 2pm)
Terry Gilliam (01/11 @ 6:30pm)

All five will doubtless be promoting their latest films showing in the festival (Time to Leave, The Matador, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, The King and The Brothers Grimm); however listening to Brosnan and Gilliam talk about their long and very different careers is guaranteed to be interesting, as will Bernal's account of how he's come to be the actor of the moment.

NB: London Film Festival 2005 runs till 03/11.

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FILM LE MEPRIS (CONTEMPT)

Camden Arts Centre

Wednesday 19 October [7pm]

Arkwright Rd., NW3 T:020.7472.5500 Tube: Finchley Rd.
FREE

The fact that a long lingering sequence of Michel Piccoli lovingly deconstructing each part of Brigitte Bardot's luscious nude body is only one of the delights of Jean-Luc Godard's 1963 Cinemascope masterpiece. Le Mepris (Contempt), is testament to the iconic director's multifaceted genius. A poignant and aesthetically pioneering inquiry into the complexities of intellectual and emotional integrity, Le Mepris stars Piccoli as a screenwriter hired to script a glossy new film version of The Odyssey. Seduced by soft money, Piccoli struggles with questions of artistic honesty. His internal battle is embodied by the characters of the legendary European director (played by Fritz Lang), and the production's brass, brutish American producer (played by Jack Palance). While Palance offers the type of easy aphorisms adored by LA players, unbeknown to Piccoli, he has lost the respect and love of his wife Camille Javel, played by Bardot at the height of her feline beauty. Arguably, Godard's most visually and psychologically mature work, Le Mépris is one of cinema's most awe-inspiring films.

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THURSDAY 20 OCTOBER
Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Mon | TueOngoing | Features

FESTIVAL FERTILIZER

Thursday 20 October [20/10 till 23/10]

various venues
check site for times and ticket prices

German shit seems to be the only thing that freaks out the creators of the wonderfully faecal South Park. Fortunately this is good shit, specially imported: providing nutrients for your ears and brain to help them grow the organisers of this festival have taken artists from almost every contemporary genre of music from Germany and are shipping them to London. There's too many to name them all here but some highlights are: no bullshit pop/art/rock from Chicks on Speed, Blitzkrieg Pop from T.Raumschmiere, Markus Stockhausen's jazz/everything quartet Joyosa, bleepy delight from Jan Jelinek and broken hip-hop from Seeed and man'sbestfriend, a side project of Anticon records' Sole. All in all there should be something there for everyone who needs a bit of head compost (and don't we all).

NB: the Fertilizer festival runs from 20/10 till 23/10. Check the site for the full programme.

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FRIDAY 21 OCTOBER
Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Mon | TueOngoing | Features

ART JEFF WALL

Tate Modern

Friday 21 October [Daily 10am - 6pm, Fri & Sat until 10pm]

Bankside, SE1 T:020.7887.8888 Tube: Southwark/Blackfriars
general £7 | concessions £5.50

For over 25 years, Canadian photographer Jeff Wall has seduced viewers with his meticulously composed scenes, visual fragments of narrative infused with references to cultural history. Tate Modern's ambitious survey of Wall's career featuring more than 50 examples of his superbly executed images will surely satiate any desire for drama, delivery or cinematic effect. Wall's pioneering treatment of photography as cinema, picture as sculpture, landscape as stage set, history as re-constructable and the everyday as a series of exceptional circumstances has secured his position as one of the most influential amongst the medium's contemporary practitioners. (Runs till 08/01/06.)

NB: on 26/10, Jeff Wall leads a masterclass for professional artists and photographers. Places are limited. Please email caroline.brimmer@tate.org.uk for more info. For all other Tate Modern Wall related events click here.

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ART FRIEZE ART FAIR 2005

Regent's Park

Friday 21 October [Fri to Sun 11am - 7pm and Mon 11am - 5pm]

Entrance by Park Sq. West, W1 T:020.7025.3970 Tube: Regent's Park/Great Portland St.
general £15 (day pass) and £30 (four day pass) | concessions £10 (day pass)

Do not stand there and wonder where the entire art world has disappeared to this weekend -- just head to Regent's Park for the Frieze Art Fair. In its third year running, this happy get-together of over 150 international galleries showcases some of the best that contemporary art has to offer, plus specially commissioned projects by cutting edge artists and a wide range of talks featuring a unique constellation of contemporary art's movers and shakers. Extending beyond the limits of the young, award-winning architect David Adjaye's specially designed marquee, the Fair introduces this year a nearby Sculpture Park and an associated concert of Karlheinz Stockhausen in Old Billingsgate Market. The winner of the newly established Cartier Award and the Tate Fund acquisitions will take centre stage, and if you want to pepper your art viewing you can even indulge in some celebrity spotting. An art lovers' feasty treat not to be missed. (Runs till 24/10.)

NB: see our special Frieze Art issue for our picks of what to do and see.

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CONCERT ULRICH SCHNAUSS

Water Rats Theatre

Friday 21 October [8pm]

328 Gray's Inn Rd., WC1 T:020.7837.7269 Tube: King's Cross
general £6 | concessions £5

As the autumnal nights begin to draw in, it's time to revel in the wonderful soundtrack of Herr Ulrich Schnauss with his inimitable blend of glacial and luscious Germanic beats 'n' swirls. A sporadic visitor to these shores, Schnauss will be joined at this concert by his girlfriend Judith Beck on guitar and vocals, and the audience should be able to gorge on some beautifully textured, blessed-out electronica. With his unruly mop of hair and distinctly cerebral presence, Schnauss is a million miles away from the vacuous, gurning fools of the commercial dance world: this is deep, introspective, multilayered music and all the better for it. Support will be provided by some fellow Germans, Malory, as well as Sennen and Sleepless. The Water Rats Theatre is surely one of London's most atmospheric and intimate venues, so this all adds up to being an evening of great promise.

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SATURDAY 22 OCTOBER
Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Mon | TueOngoing | Features

TALK JOHN BANVILLE, PATRICK MCGRATH AND MATTHIAS MULLER

Royal Festival Hall

Saturday 22 October [4pm]

South Bank, SE1 T:0870.401.8181 Tube: Embankment/Waterloo
£8.50

Has our city got soul? Writers 2005 Booker Prize winner John Banville (Prague Pictures and The Sea), Patrick McGrath (Port Mungo) and filmmaker Matthias Muller (short film, Vacancy) will be talking through their work, exploring how to read cities soul's through their responses to three great capitals; Prague, New York and Brasilia. Part of the RFH series Wanderlust: Writers Navigate Travel, which responds to the Hayward Gallery's exhibition Universal Experience: Art, Life And The Tourist's Eye by finding out through writers and visual artists how we "read" our world. If you love writing or travel, or even travel writing then this is a must.

NB: the Wanderlust: Writers Navigate Travel talk series runs on two dates 22/10 and 23/10. Universal Experience: Art, Life And the Tourist's Eye the exhibition runs till 11/12.

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DANCE / FESTIVAL DANCE UMBRELLA 2005: COMPAGNIE MAGUY MARIN / LA RIBOT / DANIEL LEVEILLE / MICHAEL CLARK

Saturday 22 October [18/10 till 13/11]

various venues
see programme for ticket prices

Compagnie Maguy Marin: Umwelt
South Bank Centre: Queen Elizabeth Hall
Sat 22/10 and Sun 23/10 @ 7:45pm
Dance Umbrella questions the relationship between audience and performers. When do we stop being audience and become performers? Get thinking with Compagnie Maguy Marin's UK premiere of Umwelt. In this piece influenced by the work of playwright Samuel Beckett, Marin has created a work in which the audience is compelled to critique its own reflection. The performers disappear and reappear on a set comprised of monolithic mirrored slabs that shake and shudder as if caught in a storm.

La Ribot: 40 Espontaneous
Greenwich Dance Agency
Thu 27/10 to Sat 29/10 @ 7:45pm
La Ribot throws 40 un-trained Londoners in the arena at gDA. Like los espontaneous (the spectators who jump into the bullring after the fight and steal the show from the bullfighter) they will interact with reality and spontaneity to create a raw and sometimes dangerous performance.

Daniel Leveille: La pudeur des icebergs
The Place
Tue 01/11 and Wed 02/11 @ 8pm

And if you have not yet been exposed enough to the raw power of dancers moves, La pudeur des icebergs (The Modesty of Icebergs), which continues Daniel Leveille's expression of the power of the unclothed human physique, will certainly quench your thirst for naked thrills. The encounter with the body is absolute. Through dance, the body is brought to the very threshold of language. The piece is set to Chopin's Preludes Op. 28 and is danced nude.

Michael Clark: O
Barbican
Tue 01/11 to Sat 05/11 @ 7:45pm

Michael Clark returns to basics with a revisited O. The core of this new production will be Clark's definitive version of Apollo (previously unfinished) with Stravinsky's score performed live for the first time in the company's history. The score also features Wire and The Velvet Underground. Clark takes ideas of fullness becoming empty, the hole becoming whole, negative space becoming positive to create a totally new framework for O -- his ground zero.

NB: Dance Umbrella 2005 runs till 13/11.

Giveaway: we have to two pairs of tickets to give away for the Michael Clark performance on 01/11. They'll go to two randomly picked Flashers who can tell us the name of company that Michael Clark joined after graduating form the Royal Ballet School.

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CLUB / DJ LUCIANO, M.A.N.D.Y., LUKE SLATER, HEADMAN...

Fabric

Saturday 22 October [10pm - 6am]

77A Charterhouse St., EC1 T:020.7344.4444 Tube: Farringdon
£15

One of those clubs that tends to violently divide opinion whenever it's name comes up in conversation -- for some it's a giant cow-shed full of bussed in yokels, who couldn't care less who is playing and are only there as their tourist guide to London told them it was unmissable, for others it's a booming temple to cutting edge dance music with lineups and a soundsystem to match. Whatever the truth, and to be honest it's really a bit of both, the fact of the matter is that over several successful years now Fabric has been packing them in week in, week out without ever compromising themselves and this weekend is a case in point. From dance music's current hotspot Chile, we have South America's latest sensation Luciano, New York provides the excellent Rub-n-Tug whilst Europe is comfortably represented by Luke Slater, Berlin's M.A.N.D.Y. and the stupidly good Robi Insinna aka Headman. Probably unmissable then.

NB: this event is part of Fabric's Birthday Weekend celebrations (20/10, 21/10 and 22/10).

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SUNDAY 23 OCTOBER
Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Mon | TueOngoing | Features

ART PAUL MCCARTHY

Whitechapel

Sunday 23 October [Tuesday - Sunday 11am - 6pm, Thurs till 9pm, not open Sun]

80-82 Whitechapel High St., E1 T:020.7522.7888 Tube: Aldgate East
general £7.50 | concessions £4.50

Trying to parse out what Paul McCarthy means by LaLa Land Parody Paradise -- the title of his phenomenally acclaimed Munich show, which now travels to the Whitechapel -- could keep you up nights. Is paradise a parody, or the other way around, and is "LaLa Land" inside the gallery space or out (or just in LA)? The show is the most comprehensive retrospective in Europe to date of McCarthy's work -- his scatological, psycho-sexual, disturbing and absurdist installations and sculpture dummies that keep getting smarter and more ambitious. In a warehouse near the gallery, the Los Angeles-based artist is installing the new Caribbean Pirates, a theme-park ride through debauchery and violence that should not, not be missed.

NB: runs till 08/01/06.

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MONDAY 24 OCTOBER
Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Mon | TueOngoing | Features

CONCERT THE FIERY FURNACES AND KEVIN BLECHDOM

ICA

Monday 24 October [7:30pm]

The Mall, SW1 T:020.7930.3647 Tube: Charing Cross/Piccadilly Circus
£9.50 (advance)

Featuring sibling musicians Matt and Eleanor Friedburger, The Fiery Furnaces return to the UK for a one off concert that will mark the release of new album Rehearsing My Choir (released on 24/10). Propelled to cult-indie status following the release of their sprawling, ambitious and musically epic 2004 album Blueberry Boat, their sound resembles The Flaming Lips at their most esoteric, an aural soundscape of melodic dissonance. Eleanor Friedburger's childlike rhymes are entwined within swirling keyboards, echoing guitars and fragmented structures. Featuring 13 tracks over more than 76 minutes Blueberry Boat received the crucial Pitchfork endorsement; in contrast, the more conservative ears of the NME described it as "toe-curlingly unlistenable". An album of such scope will inevitably polarise opinion, yet it is a rewarding listen and their live show promises to be compelling. Experimental electronic music producer Kevin Blechdom will open the proceedings, ensuring early arrival is recommended.

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TUESDAY 25 OCTOBER
Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Mon | TueOngoing | Features

CONCERT ANIMAL COLLECTIVE AND CARIBOU

Scala

Tuesday 25 October [7:30pm]

275-277 Pentonville Rd., N1 T:020.7833.2022 Tube: King's Cross
£13.50

This gig should be a richly rewarding live experience -- both bands play with the definition of pop music, stretching stylistic boundaries and confounding expectations. You can never be sure whether you'll get the full line up or a stripped down two man acoustic set with Animal Collective but you're sure to hear some thrilling music, their latest album showcased some lovely, sparkling layers of noise that wash over you a la Arcade Fire. Fresh from touring with The Russian Futurists and ahead of his biggest tour to date with the Super Furry Animals, Caribou is on the verge of stardom. Interest in the alternative folk scene is escalating with a new release by My Morning Jacket, so catch these two upstarts while you can still get the tickets.

NB: this event is part of the Leaf Is Ten series of concerts.

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THEATRE FORCED ENTERTAINMENT: BLOODY MESS / EXQUISITE PAIN

Riverside Studios

Tuesday 25 October [25/10 to 06/11 @ 7:45pm]

Crisp Rd., W6 T:020.8237.1111 Tube: Hammersmith Broadway
general £17 (£30 joint performance) | concessions £13.50 (£25 joint performance)

Bloody Mess
25/10 to 30/10 @ 7:45pm

Since its inception in 1984 Forced Entertainment has remained one of the most consistently cutting-edge UK theatre companies. Here they return with their sell-out show, Bloody Mess. Fiercely energetic and spectacularly visual, this is FE's most ambitious work to date -- and that is really saying something, as this is the company that has inspired the current generation of exceptionally innovative theatre companies in the UK. Created to celebrate FE's 20th birthday in 2004, it weaves together disconnected characters, ideas, rocktacular videos, high melodrama and quirky science lectures to create a whole that is intelligent, darkly comic and unexpectedly poignant. A bloody big and beautiful mess!

Exquisite Pain
01/11 to 06/11 @ 7:45pm

Exquisite Pain is a brand new work from FE based on a text by Sophie Calle, the renowned French conceptual artist. This is also the first time FE have worked from "a text" -- so to speak. Exquisite Pain is an intimate performance exploring how people come to terms with trauma. Calle's words and images have long attempted to blur the boundaries between visual art, performance and real life itself. For fans of Calle (and one either loves her or hates her), this is a major event. Remember her collaboration with Paul Auster in the '90s? This is an inspired collaboration choice and it will be interesting to see how it works -- the best conceptual art meets the best in conceptual performance, it should be explosive. A few years ago Calle had an exhibition at Camden Arts Centre where viewers were invited to leave behind their suggestions for what Calle should do next. Maybe this was one of those ideas.

NB: Bloody Mess runs from 25/10 to 31/10 and Exquisite Pain runs from 01/11 to 06/11.

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ONGOING & UPCOMING
Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Mon | TueFeatures

ARCHITECTURE / TALK KJETIL THORSEN (SNOHETTA)

RIBA

Wednesday 26 October [6:30pm ]

66 Portland Place, W1 T:020.7580.5533 Tube: Regent's Park/Portland St.
general £8 | concessions £5 | students £5

Another chance to catch Kjetil Thorsen of architects Snohetta revealing how such a relatively tiny Norwegian practice has achieved such global success. The firm came to international prominence over a decade ago when they won the commission to create the new library at Alexandria (a Herculean task if you pardon our mixing of myths) and more recently their carefully integrated Norwegian Embassy, Berlin. Competition wins for the forthcoming New York WTC Cultural Centre and Oslo Opera House have set the scene for their most ambitious location to date: Margate. Surprisingly, this formerly-fading Kentish seaside town is about to become the recipient of an extraordinarily radical design with its new Turner Contemporary -- imagine a giant pebble that's landed on its edge in the sea.

NB: on 01/11 catch Jan Kaplicky as he presents a personal selection of projects, inspirations, ideas and imagery from the beginning of his career to the present day work of Future Systems.

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ART / TALK COMICA: MISFIT LIT (WITH JESSICA ABEL, MATT MADDEN, IGORT, KILLOFFER...)

ICA

Wednesday 26 October [7pm]

The Mall, SW1 T:020.7930.3647 Tube: Charing Cross/Piccadilly Circus
general £8 | concessions £7

Continuing their support of arguably the most vital of contemporary art forms, London's ICA presents Misfit Lit: Conversations With Graphic Novelists. This talk is a part of the ongoing series of Comica events at the ICA, the brainchild of comic institution, author (his book Graphic Novels, published by Aurum is now on the shelves) and broadcaster Paul Gravett. The astonishing diversity of the medium is amply illustrated by the speakers: from the US Jessica Abel and Matt Madden, Italy's Igort, Times cartoonist Paul Wright, the brilliant Killoffer, French Tarantino of autobiographical comics and Japan's mistress of creepy cuteness and fractured fairytales, Junko Mizuno. Not only will the audience be privy to these creators' methods, but there will also be the opportunity to buy material that is both rare and otherwise impossible to purchase in the UK. For both hardcore comic book enthusiasts and the curious layman this event is unmissable.

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CONCERT LEAF IS 10: MURCOF, EFTERKLANG, SUTEKH...

The Spitz

Wednesday 26 October [7pm]

109 Commercial St., E1 T:020.7392.9032 Tube: Aldgate East/Liverpool St.
£10

Mexico's Fernando Corona (aka Murcof) headlines part two of Leaf Is Ten; four London-based gigs celebrating a decade of The Leaf Label, one of the UK's most ardent promoters of quality new, leftfield music, from electronica and beyond. Continuing to his signature blend of noirish electronic-based landscapes, twisted with orchestral samples, as reinforced by his dark and cinematic 2005 album, Remembranza, the uncategorisable Murcof is supported by Danish 10-piece Efterklang, whose haunting debut, Tripper, led to a number of critically acclaimed shows earlier in the year. Murcof and Efterklang are joined by fellow Leaf signing, West Coast producer and DJ Sutekh, with DJ support from Galia Durant (Psapp/Leaf).

NB: for info on all Leaf Is Ten concerts, click here.

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CONCERT ELECTRELANE AND THE ORGAN

ULU

Wednesday 26 October [7:30pm]

Malet St., WC1 T:020.7664.2000 Tube: Goodge St.
£10 (advance)

Brighton quartet and post-punk/leftfield rock outfit Electrelane recall a range of influences ranging from NEU!, Sonic Youth, The Velvet Underground and the krautrock movement. Recent Steve Albini produced album Axes is a return to some of the earlier instrumental sounds of their 2001 debut, Rock It To The Moon. Despite a mixed critical reception, it has invariably been described as their most mature album; its infused with the energy and "band-in-a-room" production of most Albini albums. Although tracks can occasionally seem slightly formulaic -- most songs start slowly and build to a raging crescendo -- there is enough variety and moments which seem fully improvised to keep the listener alert. This is the band's biggest London gig to date, suggesting an increasing popularity and ambition to transcend their cult status.

NB: support from the excellent Vancouver all women quintet, The Organ.

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MULTIMEDIA / PERFORMANCE NEVER EVER LAND

The Residence

Thursday 27 October [27/10 to 31/10 from 11am - 5pm]

168A Victoria Park Rd., E9 T:020.8986.8866 Tube: Bethnal Green/Mile End
£3

Wooo... something a little bit "off-kilter" for you now! Forget the usual Halloween Fayre of mythical vampires, witches and cult characters, Residence Gallery is filling its event with the sincerely scary from our tabloid tales, namely, Wacko Jacko, Cocaine Kate and Balloon Britney! Over four days the gallery opens its doors for you to experience the frighteningly fabulous, complete with performers, paintings, installation and video from Marianne, Jubal Brown, Guy Oliver, Miss Lala Lovette, Lisa Freeman, Tamara Allen-Cousins, Jessica Mistovski and Ingrid Z. Plus for the three quid charge you get your very own psychic reading. We're sensing you really might have a jolly good time!

NB: Never Ever Land runs till 31/10.

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CONCERT / FILM SAINT ETIENNE

Barbican Centre

Thursday 27 October [8pm]

Barbican Centre, EC2 T:020.7638.8891 Tube: Barbican
£12.50

Saint Etienne are a curious beast -- culturally they pitch themselves as bastions of British whimsy, given to writing songs which are like Richard Brautigan stories for young Chelsea-dwellers wearing Hardy Amies suits and wistful expressions. That they convey these tales of urban love, ennui, happiness and heartbreak through gloriously-produced pop and dance music has ensured popularity with those whose fondest memories are of sunrise at Cafe Del Mar in 1991. They are back this autumn with a short film about the Lea Valley and they'll be showing this alongside a selection of songs from their new album, Tales From Turnpike House -- and given the current predilection for introspected psychogeographical musings on the mysteries of London's streets they've captured the zeitgeist as ably as ever. Head down to the Barbican for an intriguing and fond glance at the city's sad, charming secrets, catalogued in perfect pop.

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FILM THUMBSUCKER

Friday 28 October

various cinemas across London
check press for times and ticket prices

Thumbsucker, a pitch-perfect coming-of-age flick (indie films still have life in them! who knew), comes out next week. Based on Walter Kim's novel, the film chronicles a teenager whose secret vice is not an under-the-bed stash of porn nor a behind-the-garden-shed pack of cigarettes, but his own thumb, sucked lovingly and guiltily behind closed doors. Directed by Mike Mills, known best for his music videos (Polyphonic Spree provides the film's gorgeous, light and airy soundtrack), Thumbsucker allows a string of star performances to unfold -- Keanu Reeves as a New Age dentist; Vince Vaughn as a debate coach who turns the hero (newcomer Justin Pucci), hopped up on Ritalin, into a competitive monster and Tilda Swinton as his eccentric, nurse-to-the-stars mother.

NB: Thumbsucker is released in London on 28/10. Another new release of note is Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers (released on 21/10).

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ART / PERFORMANCE / TALK CHINA LIVE: CONVERSATIONS ON PERFORMANCE AND DOCUMENTATION

V&A Museum

Friday 28 October [2pm - 10pm]

Cromwell Rd., SW7 T:020.7942.2000 Tube: South Kensington
general £8.50 | concessions £6.50 | students £5

"A messenger will soon bring good tidings..." -- Chinese fortune cookie. No one could deny that China's five-pointed star is on the ascendant just now. With an inaugural presence at this year's Venice Biennale, the forthcoming 2008 Olympics and various international exhibitions showcasing Chinese history and culture, there is a veritable dim sum of all things chinois for Asiaphiles to sample. Not least of which is the stunning Between Past And Future: New Photography And Video From China exhibition, currently showing at the V&A (runs till 15/01/06). Featuring artists Shu Yang, Dinu Li and Hayley Newman, China Live: Conversations and Documentation (2 - 5pm) will explore issues such as spectacle, performativity and the documentation and dissemination of performance art. After the discussion ends, the fun begins as some of China's foremost artists barnstorm the V&A with the very best in contemporary Chinese live performance, photography, film and music in China Friday Late (6:30 - 10pm).

NB: Hans Ulrich Obrist will also give a talk during the Friday Late part of this event.

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CONCERT AT BOB: AOKI TAKAMASA AND TUJIKO NORIKO

The Luminaire

Friday 28 October [8:30pm]

311 High Rd., NW6 T:020.7372.8668 Tube: Kilburn
£5

Fresh from their collaboration for FatCat, Aoki Takamasa and Tujiko Noriko take the stage at the Lumiere. 28 is a gorgeous confection of whispered vocals, electronic washes and minute detail with a unity which belies its genesis via internationally Fedex'd CD-Rs (Aoki was resident in Osaka, while Tujiko lived in Paris). It also represents the latest in a run of knockout releases from the Brighton-based label (not least from Animal Collective and Vashti Bunyan). And given that upwardly-mobile venue The Luminaire is on a mission to rescue the gig-going experience from the grotty holes you may be accustomed to, what could be more pleasant?

NB: if you cannot make it to this gig catch Aoki Takamasa and Tujiko Noriko on 25/10 at Scala as they play with Animal Collective and Caribou. On 31/10 catch Scout Niblett as she performs at the same venue.

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CLUB / DJ FURTHUR HALLOWEEN RAVE: LUKE VIBERT, CYLOB, DMX KREW, THE BUG...

Jacks

Friday 28 October [10pm - 6am]

Shand St., SE1 T:020.8621.7776 Tube: London Bridge
general £13 | concessions £11

It's a well-known fact that dance music and Halloween go together like salt and vinegar -- in fact, the IDM movement was inspired by a dream Luke Vibert had about changelings and Mike Paradinas is a practising warlock. Actually, neither of these statements are true to the best of our knowledge (although they both kind of make sense when you think about it), but the spookiest night of the year is celebrated this year in style by the people at Furthur who've put together a night of Rephlex artists to die for (presumably prior to a hasty resurrection). Cylob, The Bug, Vibert and DMX Krew will be bringing the avant-garde breaks, bass and techno to Jacks. Each one of them has been known to pump out terrifying and unsettling basslines and eerie nuggets of acidic, grimy dance -- chances are there won't be a lot of happy hardcore played.

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CLASSICAL MUSIC / MULTIMEDIA WRITING ON WATER (WITH PETER GREENAWAY)

Queen Elizabeth Hall

Saturday 29 October [7:30pm]

South Bank, SE1 T:0870.401.8181 Tube: Embankment/Waterloo
£8 - £22

David Lang is a restless soul, constantly searching out a place for his music that reflects his elegant, luminous and engaging vision. Co-founder and director of NYC's Bang On A Can, this imaginative collaboration with gluttonous, sensation obsessed filmmaker Peter Greenaway explores an oceanic theme, interwoven with extracts from The Tempest, The Rhyme Of The Ancient Mariner and Moby Dick. Summoning up a mariner's nightmare of disasters, shipwrecks, and survival, this collaboration, employing the extraordinary talents of the London Sinfonietta, will use sound, multiple screen projections and text to present a fiercely intelligent exploration of the deep blue sea. No life vest necessary.

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THEATRE NOT IN MY NAME

Camden People's Theatre

Ends Sunday 30 October [8pm]

58-60 Hampstead Rd., NW1 T:020.7916.5878 Tube: Warren St./Euston Sq.
general £10 | concessions £8

No chairs, no stage, no actors, just a room to walk into and stand in. Theatralia, an international collective of performers and artists, creates a feeling of unease in CPT's empty auditorium. People stare at you, from afar or right in your face. As the situation becomes more and more uncomfortable the performers emerge from the standing audience. They watch us like wardens guard prisoners. Using complete darkness or dramatic lighting they tell the story of Karla Faye Tucker, a woman executed in Texas while George W. Bush was governor. To the accompaniment of a nightmarish score performed live on electric guitar by Roger Goula, tension builds and culminates into a Dantesque danse macabre that sees the cast try to escape the theatre like cats fighting their way out of a cage. Following this powerful scene director Filomena Campus uses religious ritual to dramatic and emotional effect and produces a beautifully sincere moment when we are asked individually to promise not to kill each other.

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ART / TALK JENNY SAVILLE

Tate Britain

Wednesday 2 November [6:30pm]

Millbank, SW1 T:020.7887.8008 Tube: Pimlico
general £7 | concessions £5

Jenny Saville likes her ladies large. Sailing against the wind of new media, she has remained resolutely a figurative painter in the tradition of Rubens or Freud, using oil to configure the flabby, fleshy nudes that swamp her immense canvases. A feminist from her years at the Glasgow School of Art, Saville's interest in female physicality -- and particularly that of upwards of size 16 figures -- only really made sense to her when she went to the States and witnessed the super-sized mall rats. One of the young prodigies to have been patronised by Saatchi and weathered the slings and arrows of his outrageously fickle collecting, Saville is putting in a rare appearance at Tate Britain to discuss her work on the eve of the publication of a new monograph.

NB: this event will most likely sell out so book early.

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ARTWORKER OF THE WEEK #53
JASON RHOADES